Lordship of Taswick
The Lordship of Taswick was a period of feudal rule in Taswick Isle between 22 K.C. and 516 K.C. under the Lord of Seacliff Castle, styled as Lord of Seacliff. ''The period was brought to a close with the total assimilation of Taswick Isle into the Kingdom of Kul Tiras. Notable Lords *Captain Troilem Beliest, 'Lord of Seacliff (22 K.C. - 29 K.C.) *Lord John Beliest, 'Lord of Seacliff (29 K.C. - 33 K.C.) *Baron Vordimere Beliest, Lord of Seacliff (33 K.C. - 92 K.C.)'' *''Count Jaymund Beliest, 'Lord of Seacliff (92 K.C. - 276 K.C.) *(Lord) Sigimund Vonshiles, '''Lord of Seacliff (276 K.C. - 299 K.C.) *''Duke Rugus Brockfist, 'Lord of Seacliff (299 K.C. - 312 K.C.) *Lord Daren Sleght, '''Lord of Seacliff (312 K.C. - 329 K.C.) *''Lady Carla Sleght, 'Lord of Seacliff (329 K.C. - 342 K.C.), (345 K.C. - 376 K.C.) *Sir Ulric Brockfist, '''Lord of Seacliff (342 K.C. - 345 K.C.) *''Lord Simon Cradell, Lord of Seacliff (376 K.C. - 396 K.C.)'' *''Chief Thorbrun Bottslanger, 'Lord of Seacliff (402 K.C. - 463 K.C.) *Lord James Garrington, '''Lord of Seacliff (463 K.C. - 501 K.C.) *''Viscount Jacob Garrington, 'Lord of Seacliff (501 K.C. - 516 K.C.) Backround''' The Lordship of Taswick suffered a rocky start in the beginning, with lords fighting endlessly for the role of controlling it. It was not until the 70's K.C. that Vordimere Beliest established the position for himself over all heir claimants and distributed harsh penalties for any who opposed him. After these heavy sentences were issued out, it was clear that the Lord of Taswick Isle was a strict authoritarian ruler and was to be feared endlessly. Under Vordimere's leadership the lordship was expanded tenfold, so that those of Seacliff Castle had controlled nearly the whole southwestern portion of Taswick Isle. Unfortunately, most of what Vordimere worked his entire life to accomplish was destroyed by his son, Jaymund Beliest. What would ensue is a period only referred to as the Terrible Era, a time of riots and looting that resulted in a sheer decline in both intellect and population. What followed the Terrible Era was a decade of relative peace under the guidance of Sigimund Vonshiles, a revered merchant who took on the position of Lord of Taswick Isle. Many of the people from the rich southern cities of Wildebeach and Salisborry opposed the immigration of poor tribesmen from the Talancan Mountains, and so protests began for stricter immigration laws around 298 K.C. Sigimund Vonshiles maintained that the immigrants should be welcomed into the rich society forged by Seacliff Castle two centuries ago, never commenting or intervening with the onslaught of immigrants. By the time of his death, Talancan immigrants made up a sizable chunk of the new population. Many of them enlisted in army and became soldiers, replacing southern born soldiers from the coastal towns of Taswick Isle. These population changes enabled Rugus Brockfist to become the next lord of Seacliff Castle. Rugus was a native born Talancan chieftain who migrated to Wildebeach fifty years prior to enlist in the navy. His experience and exposure to the rich southern customs allowed him to integrate into their society well enough so that he could become ruler. His short reign over the lordship was also peaceful, although soon after his death riots once again sprang up all over the isle. Daren Sleght betrayed the people's trust by opening up trade relations with the Kingdom of Kul Tiras, a mortal enemy in the hearts of those of Taswick Isle. This sparked a full on rebellion in 318 K.C. that lasted well over a decade. This rebellion became known as the Brackwater Rebellion and caused severe fragmentation of the lordship. Eventually, Daren Sleght was assassinated and the lordship given to his daughter, who was no better. Carla Sleght furthered relations with Kul Tiras, directly against the numerous outcries of the Taswick people. After a brief coup resulted in the ousting of Carla from power, order was almost returned to Taswick Isle. Ulric Brockfist, grandson to Rugus Brockfist, established himself as the lord of Seacliff Castle and revoked all the policies put in place by the two previous lords. This victory was short lived, however, as Carla soon returned to Seacliff with an unstoppable army made up of thousands of mercenaries. Ulric and his followers were quickly slain, restoring power of the lordship back to Carla Sleght. Before the second half of her long reign was over, she sold Taswick Isle to the Kingdom of Kul Tiras and welcomed the assimilation of the two. She was betrayed, however, as upon her death her son was slain and her title given to a wealthy Kul Tiran lord who hailed from Crestfall. Simon Cradell's reign upon the isle is considered to be a turning point. No longer was Taswick Isle a vast and endless island looming with adventure and discovery; nearly all the uncharted jungle had been either cut down or marked for lumber. The only place that the wild still seemed wild was in the Talancan Mountains. Simon's policies greatly favored those on Kul Tiras at the expense of those born on Taswick Isle, a fact that alienated him from the local population. After Simon's death the lordship was left vacant for six years, during which the Council of Seacliff took control of the parliament. Meanwhile dwarves began to make their way into the coastal communities, clashing with the already mixed culture of the local humans. Eventually a dwarf by the name of Thorbrun Bottslanger came into military power. Managing to raise a small army, Thorbrun took control of Seacliff Castle and wrestled away the power from the Council of Seacliff. Once in power, the dwarf imposed rigid policies back unto the humans and abolished century old Seacliff traditions in favor of unfamiliar dwarven customs. For six decades Thorbrun was able to maintain control over the lordship, eventually dying of a heart attack during a battle. Much had happened in the past sixty years. Under Throbrun's direction, much of the navy was made up dwarves, a vast disadvantage when they were using human naval equipment. The naval dominance of Taswick Isle had dissolved to nothing over the years, and the Kul Tirans were of no aid. Pirates began to surface once again, a problem that was solved almost three centuries prior. By the time the venerable Lord James Garrington took up the lordship, most of the isle's wealthy cities were under constant siege by hundreds of pirate crews. Instead of building up a respectable military, James opted to dismantle the navy completely and use the money to continuously pay off the pirates. This worked the majority of the time while James was in power, but by the end of his reign, the pirates began to assault and raid coastal cities regardless of the amount offered. Trading routes were harassed endlessly by the hordes of pirate crews, and Seacliff Castle was nearly bankrupt. James Garrington died a hated man, and with his death so died the trust of the people in the lord of Taswick Isle. His son, Jacob Garrington, took power in 501 K.C. during the most feverish time in the history of Taswick Isle. The middle-aged noble tried everything he could to stop the onslaught of pirates, but little he did worked. With almost no military to work with, Jacob Garrington could only watch as countless acres of hard fought land was taken inch by inch at the hands of the greedy pirate lords. Jacob's suicide and the Great Coastal Invasion of 517 K.C. marked the end of the Lordship of Taswick and the start of something much more sinister in the lands of Taswick Isle. Category:Seacliff House of Nobles Category:Council of Seacliff Category:Kul Tiras Peerage